Council demands end to "timetable discrimination" on Derry-Belfast line

Derry City and Strabane District Council will seek and update from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) around improved train services.

Following a request of the Public Transport Taskforce, members of February’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee agreed to write to the Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins, for an update on the business case for increased rail services between Derry and Belfast.

Director of Environment and Regeneration, Karen Phillips, informed members that the taskforce, which was established in 2023 and comprises of representatives of council, DfI, Translink, and rail campaign group Into the West, had its most recent meeting in September.

During the meeting DfI gave a progress update on the development of the North West Transport Plan, while Translink spoke on the operation of current services and on proposed improvements to bus and rail services.

“During the meeting, members of the taskforce discussed proposals to increase rail services between Derry and Belfast,” Ms Phillips said. “Translink officials advised that they had submitted a business case to DfI – relating to an additional early morning and later evening train service and for an hourly service on a Sunday – in 2020.

“The members of the taskforce requested that council write to the DfI Minister seeking an update on progress of this business case/improved services.”

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin said council passed a similar motion last year to request funding to “address the real disparity on the Derry to Belfast line”.

“I think we got some responses back to the effect of ‘we are looking at it and we’re open to it’ but we haven’t had any decision made, so I fully support the proposal and that we write to them collectively from this Committee,” he added.

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“Hopefully when that letter is received we’ll get a firmer response.

“This has been something that campaigners, particularly Into the West, have been pushing for for a long time, so we have to keep making the case that Derry is worthy of services that exist east of the Bann.”

Sinn Féin councillor Emma McGinley said Ms Kimmins has “demonstrated commitment to the North West” during meetings of the Regional Development Group, while SDLP councillor Rory Farrell said there needed to be “faster and more frequent journeys”.

He concluded: “Translink submitted a revised business case to the Minister for those more frequent services in September 2025, I’m unsure whether a decision has been made, but if this paper is before us it suggests it hasn’t.

“But we support writing to the Minister, asking for clarity, asking for certainty, because we do need investment.”